Then I'm in my car, the engine idling and my GPS set for the Lucas farm. I might be in love with White Hall Lucas, but no one is ever going to tell me what I can and cannot do—even him.
CHAPTER 30
WHITE
"Where the hell is my woman?"
"Well, hello to you too," Green says, and he's grinning in a way that makes me want to smash his face in.
"Fuck you. Where's my woman?" I growl, brushing by him and looking around his living room only to find the place empty.
"Come on in, please," Green mutters, but I can still hear the laughter in his voice—the asshole. "And I didn't know you had a woman."
"Kayla," I grate through clenched teeth. He doesn't know how close he's coming to getting his ass kicked.
"Kayla? I thought she was just your buddy, your pal."
"Fuck you," I repeat because I'm lame and have no fucking comeback. I just want my woman. I want to bend her over my knee and spank her ass and maybe after I calm down, fuck it. Maybe before.
"You seem a little tense, brother."
"Are you done with your fun yet? Are you going to tell me where Kayla is or not?"
"Haven't seen her," he says and he's looking at me head-on, so I know he's not lying.
"Shit. I thought for sure she'd be here. She's not answering her phone."
"Maybe she doesn't want to talk to you?" Green suggests, sitting on the couch. I follow, picking the chair across from him. I rake my hands through my hair, feeling completely on edge. I can't ever seem to pin this woman down. Just when I think I can breathe easy, she does something else.
"Probably not," I sigh. "She ran away while I was sleeping."
"Kayla's always been pretty levelheaded. You running away, I could understand."
"The only running I've been doing is in circles, chasing after her," I confess, truthfully.
"Well that's different."
"Everything about Kayla is different."
"What was the big fight about?"
"It wasn't a fight, well not really. I forbade her to do something and I'm pretty sure she's going to prove she can do what she wants."
"Women don't like to be told what to do, that's for damn sure."
"Learned that through your vast experience, have you?"
"Do you know you're a smart-ass?”
"I've been told."
"Whatever. I know my history with women sucks. You don't have to rub it in. At least I have Allen out of it."
"Can't deny that. He's a good kid, but Kayla is not teaching him."
"That's not what she says."
"That's where our misunderstanding is," I tell him, raking my hand over the side of my face. “She’s not going on the road with you,” I growl. “I can’t handle it. The damn woman is already driving me to drink.”
I wince as I stretch my arm a little too much. I hope against hope that Green doesn't notice it, but I know I'm not going to get off that easy.
"Your shoulder's not healing." He says it quietly and it's not a question. He might be in a different sport, but he knows the score. He understands better than any of my brothers would, except maybe Gray. I rub the shoulder in reflex, grimacing.
"No. It's not. The last report wasn't good at all. I go back on the first of next month to check the range of motion and flexibility."
"What are all of the doctors saying?"
"Not a lot. They're going to try and put me in a cryogenic chamber next month and see if that will stimulate healing. Black mentioned it and I was stupid enough to bring it up to the team doctor."
"Fuck. That shit is painful."
"You've had it done?"
"Nah, a buddy on the team did last year. He says he still feels ice cubes on his fucking balls."
"I've heard the same. Still I have to try something. I'm not going to be able to play again like this."
"Maybe it's time to hang up the jersey."
"I’ve been thinking about it. Just not sure what comes next."
"You have options, man."
"Yeah, but I love football."
"There's other things to love," he says, and for some reason Kayla's face comes to mind.
"Would you give it up?"
"What? Baseball?"
"Yeah."
"In a heartbeat if I had a reason and if I couldn't play anymore. I could walk away without regrets."
"That's the kicker right there. Regrets."
"Do you have any?"
"A lot. Right now, I'm not sure they revolve around football though."
"And that brings you back to Kayla."
"Pretty much."
"I see what you mean about the circles," Green jokes and I shrug.
"I guess I better go find her. My luck, she's at Blue's."